An Oklahoma teacher stood at a highway intersection panhandling for school supplies last week. She was surprised when she made $52 in 10 minutes and "overwhelmed" by the support she received online in the days that followed. But the interaction that affected her most was a young woman who approached her, donated her waitressing tips and said, "I’m alive today because of a teacher like you."
"That just choked me up," said Teresa Danks, a third-grade teacher at Grimes Elementary School in Tulsa, Okla., who set out to raise money for her classroom and send a message about education funding challenges that she thinks too few people understand.
Oklahoma has recently led the nation in cuts to general education funding per student, according to a report by the nonpartisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Oklahoma also ranked 49th out of 50 states and the District of Columbia for average teacher salary, which was $45,276 in the state in 2016, according to a report by the National Education Association.
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23 comments:
Must have a greedy bloated useless top heavy communist BOE like wicomico..ELECTED SCHOOL BOARD AND VOUCHERS NOW!!!!
Im willing to bet the comments will be mostly anti-teacher to this one, per usual. I saw a parent yell and scream that she had to buy markers for her own kid. Really? While she drives a new car? We nedd to get our priorities straight in this nation. Education is the only leveler left in this world and we treat it lime crap in this country and belittle those who teach. Talk about sad.
The BOE takes in over half the tax money we all pay, yet cannot buy a box of tissues for a classroom. With the change, Law enforcement, fire protection, roads and stormwater management happen without workers having to beg for more money.
Think about that.
If thus doesnt say it all, i dont know what will. Why are we spending $600 billion a year on military? I love the military, support wholeheartedly. But you mean to tell me that being able to destroy the world 1000x over isnt enough of a deterent? Lets fund creativity and science and invention again. Thats what will make America great again.
Most Education is done at the State level, not Federal. But just like here, the bulk of the money goes to the BOE big wigs. Most teachers in Maryland make more than the average Marylander. But they take money from supplies and such because the people higher up than the teacher get paid way too much.
9:50, I'm 9:51. I know your heart is in the right place wanting to educate the next generation effectively, but you must admit your mafia gets over half our money and hands you Common Core requirements, and your SOP's make your classrooms less orderly than the monkey cage at the zoo, and hands us businesses workers who can't spell, speak clearly, or do common math, and sporting neck tats.
Sorry to lay out the reality of TODAY for you, but your System SUCKS! And to leave you begging on street corners for tissue money, but you still don't see the writing on the wall i the height of "Pathetic".
Good luck with your piteous "career".
Bet all the automobile mechanics are going to follow in her footsteps and parade around with crude homemade placards to try to raise the thousands of dollars they for the tools needed to fix cars.
This is a joke as is public education anymore. We pay thousands of teachers (for nine months of the year) several million dollars a piece, insure them, give them a retirement pension with healthcare, etc. all for what? Teaching (indoctrinating) a few thousand kids over a 25 or 30 year period? The COST SIMPLY OUTWEIGHS THE BENEFITS of a "public" system with undeserving tax sponges serving themselves at the taxpayer trough for life. I believe we should turn early education (k-12) back over to the family and private institutions so as to restore the natural order and balance in our society. This will reinstitute a truly libertarian "survival of the fittest" mentality insuring that the brightest, most desiring and deserving receive the best education in preparation for trade school, college or University. The refund or savings in taxes would be enormous and rid the community of a failed socialist education system that taxes everyone equally even if you do not have children utilizing the system. That is simply not fair. That's right, eliminate brick and mortar K thru 12 schools! This concept is the application of the free market on education and will eliminate centralized control messaging, propaganda, unions and poor quality teachers as we see in our current system. Those that will, do. Those that don't, fail and don't get a free ride.
There are some great public school districts within a few hours drive. Most are located in affluent areas with high median incomes and highly educated residents. The eastern shore has always been on the lower side of educational standards.
You idiot once you buy tools you have them forever. Teachers have to buy the same damn supplies every year.
I support all teacher's. Its not there fault education is what it is. Most think the system is broken, but like most of us we do our jobs the best we can with what we have to work with.
You are just being silly. The techs (correct word) bosses will just raise the labor rate so that the techs can afford the increasingly expensive data diag tools that they need. They need them because you make too much money doing what ever it is that you do but couldn't fix your way out of a paper bag.
BOE administrators, the Teachers Union and politics have ruined education in this country.
Let's not forget, this teacher is not in Wicomico County. It states the teacher makes $35K yearly. I have only a high school diploma, but believe with her education and expense that is a very low salary.
She's not too smart for working for the past 20 years at a job paying so little.
To ALL of you criticizing the salary portion of this article, my Sister graduated college with a teaching degree and later got her masters. He first full time position paid he $13,000.00 a year. You all might say, WHY? Because this was her calling. This is what she desired her entire life. She went to work for a Catholic School in northern Virginia, (very expensive) and as a family we supported her.
Today she is the Principal of that school and believe me, she makes NOTING, (income wise) compared to public school salaries. However, what makes it, (and her) great is that she went into this for the right reason. God Bless the fact she is also a right wing republican to boot.
So don't always think that teachers aren't paid enough. Some teachers go into teaching for the right reason and guess what, those are the teachers and schools that have the highest grades and highest college graduation rates.
Wish we had more people like your sister Joe. It would make things much better.
True and why does supplies like tissue baggies etc, need to be sent every year? My friend who works in the system states there is a over flow every year so where is the supplies going? Working middle classed families who dont get food stamps cannot afford to be footing the bill for those who get perks and refuse to send supplies. I ll be damned if im going to be especially footing the bill for the influx of illegals and system hustlers who I see are now flooding Salisbury. Instead of building unneeded sports fields, buy supplies they should be supplying anyway
Then we should be fine, especially w/ what the casinos are bringing in. No it's taking care of these illegals. I ve seen more pregnant foreigners everyday everywhere in the last few months than I ve seen in my 35+ years of life
Joe, thank you for this. It truly is disheartening that "steve" feels that teaching is a piteous career and that others agree. I wonder who taught them how to write that foolishness? Shame on him. Now, lets look at this- a Maryland educator makes 45k-ish to start, after about 40k of student loans. This means they will be paying about $350 a month for ten years just for the pleasure to teach and be disrespected. Do the math. Why cant we get good teachers? Hmmm
Joe, does this mean you feel teachers should be paid pennies because they teach for "the right reasons?" I mean, heaven forbid they make enough to raise a family...
1:32, aka, flaming a-hole, Did I say that or even come close to suggesting such, NO. You liberal pansy a-hole teachers are just about the most defensive, self centered people I have ever seen in my entire life. You are in it for YOU, not the profession or the children. You just hide behind that protective field, "the children" to demand raises, union protection and job security.
My Sister does what she does because she wants a better America. She wants children to grow up educated and responsible. God fearing citizens. What Wicomico County delivers is mainly criminals and thugs.
The mere fact you had to throw out your statement is because you are the perfect example of a piece of sh!t teachers who shouldn't be in that profession. Now you'll come back and say, I'm not a teacher Joe, I just asked the question. Yeah, right. Now go upstairs and tell your mommy to make you a samich before you go to the comic book store starving half to death.
1:31 on 7/27, I was just saying that out of every tax dollar that is taken out of my paycheck, the school system gets MORE THAN HALF of it. when it's not spent to pay you enough salary to pay back your student loans and buy school supplies to teach your students leaving you standing on street corners begging for money, why do you feel that me being upset about that is sad?
Do the police and firemen and Public works people who get less money than the BOE have to beg on street corners to buy their tools of the trade?
It's a shame you have to blame the taxpayer for your dilemma instead of your own Administration and Unions. Sorry you feel so much angst toward me, your money supplier.
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